True Romance
by kradnohikari
Summary: Oneshot that takes place after Ocean's Thirteen.  Rusty visits Linus one day, and finds what he is looking for.  Slash. Linus X Rusty


**Disclaimer- **Don't own... Just the plot...

**Warnings- **Oprah, and hints of smex... Slashly themes..

**Pairing- **Linus X Rusty

Okay... I wrote this right after I watched Ocean's Thirteen... Most of this is taken out for guideline purposes. If you click on my profile, then find the link, it will take you to the page where the full one-shot is. Enjoy!

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Linus walked in to his apartment two weeks after the casino heist in Vegas. Two weeks of being near the Senior Caldwell his father. Things had gone great, the pickpocket was awarded with a few hundred thousand dollars. A few hundred grand wasn't as big as the Belliago heist it was something. 

Placing his black duffle bag on the carpet of the small hallway of his apartment. Linus stepped forward, as he did so the sound of screaming and crying met his ears. Unsure of who it was he ventured in slowly.

The sight Linus was met with was both funny and pathetic. There sitting on the only couch in his small living room was Rusty. The blonde con man was wearing one of his usual neutral business suits, legs propped onto the nearby wooden coffee table. At first Linus just noticed the crying, and thought something was seriously wrong. Frantic thoughts ran through his mind. _'Did someone get hurt? Were we found out? Did Livingston not get out?'_

He was ready to ask those concerns. Walking closer, he was almost at the couch, his arm outstretched when he heard Rusty whisper something. Linus couldn't hear, so he leaned in as close as he would dare. The pickpocket knew he was closer than normal, for he could smell the light aftershave wafting off the other's body, but that didn't stop him for hovering there.

Rusty whispered something again, his sea blue pools focused on the plasma screen in front of him. It was the nicest thing in the house, and the only thing Linus dared to buy with the millions he heisted. "You go girl."

Linus was still confused about who the con man was talking about. Deciding that the best course of action would be to either slap the man to get him to pay attention or shut of the source of the problem he chose the second option. Turning around, he stopped his foot ready to move forward. On the screen was what looked like two young kids, and a darker skinned woman. Linus didn't know who the kids were, but he sure knew who the woman was. Rusty was watching Oprah.

His first reaction was to snort, but he held that back, knowing that it wouldn't be the right thing to do. Opening his mouth, he found he couldn't speak. Shifting his head back and forth between the screen and his mentor, he just gaped.

Rusty smiled. He was embarrassed by the kid catching him watching something so girly. Brining a sleeve to wipe his eyes, he leaned over ready to shut the show off. As he was about to touch the remote, he found it captured by another. His pools shifted upwards on their own accord, wondering who dared to interrupt his save.

Linus grinned shyly when he saw the other look at him, his heart fluttering a beat. This time words didn't escape him. Picking up the remote, he flung himself into his armchair, the one only he was allowed to sit in. Not that many people came over anyways. "Oprah huh?"

Rusty shrugged, remembering a similar conversation, the day he caught Danny watching the same show. It was the day he became hooked. Tapping a tune with his fingers, he went back to watching Oprah.

When the show was over, Linus decided he had to ask, he couldn't just let something like this slip by. He reasoned with himself that it could be blackmail material, but he knew deep down in his heart he would never say anything about it again. Another part of him wanted to know why the man was here of all places and not with Isabelle, Danny or Tess. "When did you start watching?" Linus decided to quell his curiosity with a simple question first, it was harmless.

Rusty kept his hues focused on the screen, which displayed some other talk show, he wasn't interested in. His mouth twitched in a cross between a smirk and smile. "Wouldn't you like to know Kid." He couldn't help, but add that little nickname.

A month before Linus would have been annoyed, or even angry at the name, but today he just let it slide off of him. "I would." He leaned back, playing with his hands nervously. His hands were itching to pick a pocket, but that wouldn't do as long as Rusty was in the neighborhood and in his apartment.

Rusty noticed the gestures, and felt his stomach growling. Lifting himself off the couch, he felt the other's pools follow him. Ignoring it, he placed his own hands in his pocket. "Wanna go out and get a burger?" He asked, wondering where he could get some mouth watering food.

"You paying?" Linus asked before he did anything else, he knew that if he accepted all would be explained to him or at least as much as Rusty would tell.

"Sure Kid." Rusty started to walk off, getting ready to leave. He almost laughed as Linus scrambled to catch up with him.  
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At a small dinner a few blocks away, Linus pulled out a few hundred dollars in cash from the wallets he had picked. He could feel the tell tale signs of Rusty amusement, but he ignored it. Counting the money, he smacked on the piece of gum in his mouth loud. Three hundred would be sufficient for his needs for now. When the waitress came over, he peeked over his menu, knowing full well that Rusty was flirting from the tell tale giggles.

Ordering their meals, Rusty looked at the man sizing him up. He compared the man before him, against the young man he was back on the first job they had done together. Gone was the nervous, shy, unsure boy. Now a confident, accomplished pickpocket, still shy and quiet, but he was no longer the type one would step on. Resting his hands on the table, he pulled off his jacket. "I walked in on Danny." He laughed at the confusion on the Linus' face. "The answer to your question from earlier."

Linus nodded, understanding what he meant. Placing his hands on the table, he played with the straw in his soda, not sure what to ask next. Fortunately he didn't have to.

Rusty was proud to admit he could read the kid in front of him like an open book. So when he saw a array of emotions cross the other's face, he knew what to answer. Like all in his profession he was careful to leave out anything important. Opening his mouth, he started to talk, the words spilling out his mouth like a waterfall. "Isabelle and I didn't work out." He felt as if he was speaking to Danny, but not quite. It was weird. The last words the French woman had ever said to him, poured into his head. _I like you I really do, but you seem distracted. It's as if…Your heart's already knows what it wants and that thing isn't me._ It seemed like a light clicked on, but he didn't let it show on his face. Instead he continued, "we kind of started to go our separate ways."

Linus nodded, slowly, giving the other his full attention. He barely noticed the waitress walk by asking if he wanted a refill. Nodding his head, he urged the other to continued with anything. His life seemed boring in comparison.

"You know Danny said something to me after you left us at the airport…" He trailed off, not sure if this was the best thing to be asking in such a public place. Not wanting to be caught with his guard down, he just shifted his lower body, keeping anything visible completely relaxed and still. Leaning into the back of the hard booth bench, he spread his arms out behind him, almost glad, as he noticed the waitress coming over with his food.

Linus waited until the woman was gone, and the hot, steaming food was in front of him, before he urged the other to continue. "He said what?" He was curious once again, that curiosity getting the best of him.

Rusty stuffed with his mouth full with the large hamburger in his hand. Chewing, he bought himself some time. Looking around, he remained calm, relying on the skill he had learned so many years ago, but not even that could last long. Once the food chewed up enough, he swallowed, showing no hint of the pit growing in his stomach. "He told me to have kids." He grinned at the sentence that still sounding absurd in his head.

Linus tilted his head back, roaring with laughter. Something in the sentence seemed ironic, somehow. It took him a few moments to calm down and when he did, a question spilt out of his mouth without any regard to his brain. "What did you say?" Once he said it, he wanted to take it back. He knew it wasn't his place to intrude.

"Nothing, but you see to me the statement at the time and still now seems absurd." The blonde con artist placed the remains of his burger on the plate suddenly not hungry. Feeling restless he placed his hands in his pocket, ready to take out his money, finding it wasn't there. Looking up with a raised eyebrow he find Linus pulling out the money to cover the bill with Rusty's money.

"Sorry." The pickpocket threw the item back, placing the money down on the table for the other to take if he wanted to. When the other did nothing, he shrugged standing up.

"Meet you outside." Without any further words, Rusty walked out of the small café ready to do something he hadn't done in a while. Looking around, he found a woman smoking, smirking he walked over. "May I have one of those ma'am?" He put on his most innocent face, grabbing the offered cigarette, holding it out for a light, he put the smoky death sentence to his lips. Calmed by the nicotine, he felt ready to confront the other. Taking a puff, he rejoined the nervous Caldwell. "Let's go back to your apartment." He steered the way.

Linus followed nervously.  
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Walking into the apartment, Rusty took to going over to the car, placing himself down in it, he felt more comfortable. The cigarette was long ago discarded leaving his hands with nothing more. He watched as Linus walked in, more curious then before he had left the small apartment. _'I guess it's better now then never.'_ He could just hear Danny chuckling at him. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he looked up at Linus.

Linus was shifting his weight from foot to foot, he knew he shouldn't, but in the situation he was in, he felt it called for it. "So umm what did you want to tell me?" The words from the walk home rang in his head. _There is something I need to tell when we get back to the apartment I want to tell you something. And no it has nothing to do with anyone being hurt._

Rusty had taken the whole walk home to figure out a plan. He was good with those, but the plan failed and impulse took over. Standing up, he walked over to the other man, yanking on his denim jacket. Pulling the man's body into his, smashing their lips together. Feeling the other as stiff as a board, he pulled back, taking his hands off the other. "That's what." Placing his hand on the other's shoulder, he was ready to let himself out, fearing the rejection he would hear and see. Instead he was flipped around, the other man's lips crushed against his this time.

Linus didn't know what to think except that what happened felt right. He knew he was gay for a long time, but he would never have thought Rusty swung that way. Feeling a tongue run along his bottom lip, he gasped, allowing Rusty's tongue to enter his mouth. Playing around, he lashed his tongue at the intruder. The two fought for dominance, a battle in which the older man won.

Rusty started to explore the cavern he was in, before they had to part for air. Breathing, he watched Linus' pools grow darker, as desire overtook him. Not wanting to wait, he followed Linus as he walked into a small bedroom, with a queen size bed. Smirking, he pushed the pickpocket back, watching him bounce up, before coming to rest on the solid material. "So…" He leaned forward, pressing his lips against the other's again.

-Insert deleted smex scene... Click on link in profile for full version..-

Lying down on the bed next to Linus, Rusty stared into the sea blue depths. Something stirred in his stomach and he felt that he should say something.

Linus sensed the other's need to talk. Curling up into the other's chest he waited to hear what the other had to say.

"I know this may seem sudden and all, but I like you." Rusty stopped sighing, he wasn't sure what to say next.

Seeing that Linus stepped in. "And you would like to have a relationship?" His pools were shining with hope.

Rusty smiled, letting his guard drop completely, leaving him exposed. "Yeah I like that." Feeling drowsy, he watched the other drift asleep, curling himself in as close as he could to his chest. Softly wrapping his arms around the Linus' waist, he fell asleep himself, wondering what would be in store for them.

In the room outside, the TV was on Oprah talking to her special guest outside.

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A/N: Review plz... Comments make the Krad's heart fonder... 


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